Pacioretty was carrying the puck out of the Canadiens’ zone late in the first period and had made it past center ice, but his pass back toward who he thought was a teammate turned out to be Stamkos; the superstar took the puck just inside the blueline, promptly skated in alone on Carey Price and blasted it past him with a blistering slap shot for his team-best 38th goal of the season: Read more

While the hockey world may have their eyes on Ottawa’s ‘Hamburglar,’ Andrew Hammond, McDonald’s is looking to Montreal Canadiens sniper Max Pacioretty to create the next big thing in fast food.

Pacioretty’s McDonald’s debut comes in the form of the special “Max 67” burger. The burger includes an Angus beef patty, bacon bits, tri-color nachos, cheese, tomato, and onion and is topped with a nacho sauce. It’s not clear how much influence Pacioretty himself had on the process, but if this was his idea, it doesn’t sound like an entirely terrible creation. Read more

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price showed us all why he’s a candidate for the Hart Trophy this year with an incredible desperation save on the New York Islanders’ Matt Martin.

Price’s amazing save came with his team up 2-0 in the middle of the second. The Islanders’ Tyler Kennedy fired a shot on net from Price’s right and the rebound came out to Matt Martin on the other side. Price had already committed his body to the Kennedy shot, but he spun and got his hand down to snare Martin’s tap-in at the top of the crease.

The NHL spotlight shines hotter for goaltenders than it does any other position player in the league, and while that pressure can be a burden, it can also produce some incredible feel-good stories.

Setting aside the typical injuries and starter/backup drama we see every season, there’ve been some pretty amazing goalie stories this year. Here are five goalies who you can’t help but feel happy for.Read more

The moves began with the AHL announcing the sale and relocation of the Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate in Hamilton, Ont.; area businessman Michael Andlauer, who had secured majority ownership of the Bulldogs in 2004, sold the franchise to the Canadiens, who announced move the team at the end of the current season to St. John’s, Newfoundland for the next two seasons. Meanwhile, the St. John’s IceCaps team that currently plays in that city will be relocated to Winnipeg next season and serve as the AHL affiliate for the NHL’s Jets. And the OHL’s Belleville Bulls, who had been experiencing financial issues and were clamoring for a new arena for some time, were purchased by Andlauer and will play next season in Hamilton. Read more

The Carey Price Hart Trophy whispers simply aren’t whispers anymore. They’re screams. They’re wall-rattling trumpets. No player in the NHL has been more dominant or valuable to his team this season.

Price leads the league’s goaltending class in wins (37), goals-against average (1.89) and save percentage (.936), the latter two triple crown categories by a wide margin. His seven shutouts trail only Marc-Andre Fleury’s nine. Price has been remarkably consistent, posting a GAA of 2.48 or better and an SP of .920 or better every month. He’s also somehow improved since the all-star break, going 13-3-1 with a 1.34 GAA and .953 SP. Those numbers don’t even look like they’re from the modern era. The GAA seems stolen from Alec Connell.

Better still, Price has done all this for a team with the 21st-best Corsi Close rating in the NHL, and for a team that scores less than any other in a playoff position right now. His backup Dustin Tokarski’s numbers pale in comparison. This is no Martin Jones or 2013-14 Chad Johnson looking all-world understudying a superstar goalie on a dominant defensive team. Every possible way you slice Price’s season, his success is his own. He’s the best player in the NHL.

And yet, while the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie is all but cemented, history suggests the odds remain against Price in the Hart Trophy race. Dominant goalie seasons like Tim Thomas’ 2011 haven’t been enough to earn MVP status. No stopper has done it since Jose Theodore in 2002. Before that it was Dominik Hasek in 1997 and 1998. Then you have to flash all the way back to Jacques Plante in 1961-62. John F. Kennedy was alive and well then. Humans hadn’t landed on the moon.

There will never be another defenseman like Bobby Orr, but there can still be those that have moments of brilliance that remind us of the great blueliner. Tom Gilbert had one Thursday night.

Late in the second period, with the Canadiens down 2-0 to the Kings and a faceoff in the Los Angeles zone, David Desharnais won a draw back to Gilbert. With room for Gilbert to skate down the wall, he took it and proceeded to drive all the way to the front of the net. With a quick deke Gilbert brought the puck from the goal line to the front of the net, reached all the way around Jonathan Quick and tucked it in the far side.

It’s the moment right after the goal, though, that is most reminiscent of Orr. When Gilbert was sweeping the puck past Quick, the Kings netminder stuck his stick into Gilbert’s skates, sending him sailing through the air post-goal. Take a look: Read more

To say Brent Burns saved Alex Stalock’s shutout by a hair would be to assume that a hair would be a slim enough margin.

With San Jose up 3-0 nearly midway through the final frame, it appeared Montreal was about to break through with and get on the board when David Desharnais poked at a loose puck, sending it up and over an outstretched Stalock. But Burns, standing just off to the side, reached back and narrowly saved the puck from crossing the goal line – or at least from entirely crossing it. Check out how close this was: Read more